Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

C. LEE. CAR GOUPLING.

Patented Dec. 6, 1892.

u@ ,u ;z //////////4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LEE, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 4873420, dated December 6, 1892.

i Application filed March 15, 1892. Serial No; &25,067. (No model.)

To all whom 't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs LEE, of San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of railroad-car couplers termed automaticg and the character of the invention will be defined in the following description and claims.

Mycar-couplercomprisesinventionsandimprovements in what are known as the "drawhead, the coupling-link, and the couplingpin and comprises, also, one sliding rod, one perforated sliding block, one movable block, two side springs, one rear spring, two eccentrics, with attached handle for noving them, all in their proper combinations; also, the combination of lever with my improved coupling-pin for raising coupling-pin, all as described, and shown in drawings herewith.

Figure 1 gives a top or horizontal View of my car-coupler. It shows, also, attached lever with fulcrum for raising couplingpin. Fig. 2 gives a horizontal section View of my car-coupler with improvements. (Dotted section-line shown at C on Fig. 3.) Fig. 3 gives a side View of the car-coupler with improvements. Fig. 4 gives a vertical section View of the car-coupler with improvements. (Dotted section-line shown at B, Fig. 1.) Fig. 5 gives a side section View of the car-coupler with coupling-pin elevated ready for coupling. (Dotted section line shown atA, Figl.) Fig. 6 gives a perspective View of my improved coupling-link. Fig. 7 gives a front View of the continuous-bent lever-handle 20 With attached eccentrics 10 lO partially re- Volving on the sliding rod 9.

1 indicates a portion of the end of a car.

2 is the top of part of car-coupler.

3 is a fulcrum extending from end of car, carrying hand-level' 4, attached to head of coupling-pin.

5 is the coupling-pin, which is rectangular in form, having the lower portion of its outer face beveled to a point at the bottom end to insure its entrance into the bottom orifice, and its inner face notched at the bottom end, as shown, to enable it When elevated to hold against and rest upon the enter top edge of the perforated sliding block when the coupling-link is away.

6 is a raised portion of car-coupler.

7 is improved coupling-link with external ends squared and fiattened perpendicularly and rectangularly to the link in the direction of its length, andthe internal ends of the inside part or opening squared rectangularly to the link in the direction of its length or right line centered through its length.

S 8 are slotted receptacles for holding side springs 9 is a sliding rod running loosely through ecoentrics, slotted spring-receptacles, slotted slotted sides of car-coupler, and perforated sliding block. (See Fig. 2.)

10 10 are two eccentrics partially revolving on the sliding rod and bearing at their circumferences against the fixed blocks ll 11.

12 12 are pins through the sliding rod to hold it in place.

13 is an annular projection on the coupling-pin to receive the end of a check-chain.

14: 14 are side bevels to mouth of car-coupler.

15 15 are section views of slots in which the sliding rod travels backward and forward.

16 is a movable block for support of rear spring 17, which presses against the perforated sliding block 18, which also presses against the fiattened end of the coupling-link, the inside end of which is forced against the coupling-pin, and the link thereby compelled to assume a position parallel to the car-couplcr in the direction of its length.

19 19 are side springs made to bear against the sliding rod and force it forward along the slots, thus insuring an equalized motion of the sliding rod.

20 is a side View of bent lever-handle which passes under the car ooupler and is attached at its ends to the eccentrics on the slidin g rod.

21 is split link for attaching the couplingpin to the hand-lover 4.

22 22 are top and bottom bevels to nouth of car-coupler.

23 indicates a bevel extending backward and upward from the bottom of the lower orifice 24 for the reception of the coupling-pin. This orifice is so beveled to insure the more certain entrance of'the pin.

The action of my automatic car-coupler is IOO - back, also.

as follows: WVhen a car having one of my carcouplers with coupling-link in roils forward to nake a coupling with another car fitted with a like coupler having no coupiing-link, then the coupling-link of the rolling car is in a horizontal position parailel in direction to the length of the car. As the car roils forward its coupling-iink enters the beveled mouth of the opposite car-coupier ready for its reception, as shown in Fig. 5. As the rolling car closes upon the standing car the conpiing-link of the fol-mer is forced against the face of the perforated sliding block in the car-coupler of the iatter, these positions being indicated in Fig. 4, Where the contact approach of the coupiing-link and sliding block appears. With the further advance of the first car the perforated sliding block in the coupier of the second car is forced back upon its rear spring, carrying with it, aiso, the sliding rod in its perforation (shown at Fig. 2) along the slots, thus pressing the side springs By this backward movement of the perforated sliding block its hold and support are withdrawn from the bottom end of the notched coupling-pin 5, (shown at Fig. 5,) and the coupling-pin immediately drops through the top or upper orifice, through the advanced coupling-iink, into the nether orifice, thereby completing the coupling of thetwo cars. The nether orifice, with back inside bevel, is shown at 23 and 24, Fig. 5. The attached end of the lever 4 (shown at Fig. 1) also drops with the coupling-pin. The coupling action of two cars fitted with these car-couplers is of course reciprocal, one link coupling both from each to either.

The unconpling action is as follows: The two cars, coupled as above described, being pressed together, the perforated slidng block 18, Fig. 4, is forced back by the coupling-link to the relative position shown at Fig. 4. This forcing back removes the pressure of the conpling-link against the coupiing-pin, which is then raised by the attached hand-lever 4, Fig. 1, to the position shown at 5, Fig. 5, and the coupling is complete. Upon the withdrawal of one car the rear spring 17, Fig. 5, and the two side springs 19 19 (shown in Fig. 2) force the perforated sliding block 18, Fig. 5, under and against the bottom end of the coupling-pin 5, Fig. 5, which has been raised by the hand-lever 4, Fig. 1, and the couplingpin then remains fixed in such position till another conpling is made. The coupiing-link 7,

Fig. 4, (shown, also, at 7, Fig. 2,) is forced into coupling position by the pressure of the perforated sliding block 18 against the flattened end of the coupling-link and the pressure of the conpling-Iink against the coupling-pin, Fig. 4. The coupling-link, as shown at 7, Fg. 4, and 7, Fig. 2, is thus made to assume ahorizontal position parailel in direction to thatof the car in the direction of its length. The purpose of the eccentrics (shown in Figs. 3 and 7) is to force back the perforated sliding block 18, Fig. 4, for the more easy insertion or removai of the coupling-1ink when required. This forcing back is accomplished by bring ing forward and upward the continuous-bent lever-handle 20, Fig. 3, which again brings the largest parts of the eccentrics against the resisting-blocks, one of which is shown at ll, Fig. 3. The sliding rod 9, Fig. 3,upon which these eccentrics turn, is thus forced back along the slot 15, Fig. 3, andthe corresponding slot on the opposite side. (Not here shown.) As the sliding rod passes through a perforation in the sliding block 18, Fig. 4, it necessariiy carries back with it the perforated sliding block itself. By iowering and pushing back the handle 20, Fig. 3, attached to the eccentrics, the action of the eccentrics is of course reversed and the perforated siiding block ailowed to come forward.

What I claim as my invention isl. The coupling-Iink 7, with squared and fiattened ends, as shown and described,incombination with the notched coup1ing-pin5,the perforated sliding block 18, back spring 17, and movabie block 16, all as shown and described.

2. The combination of the slotted receptacies 8 8 with the side springs 19 19, siiding rod 9, and perforated sliding block 18, all as shown and described.

3. The two eccentrics 10 lO, With attached bent handle 20, in combination With the sliding rod 9, all as shown and described.

4. The rectangular coupling-pin 5, with notched and beveled end, in combination with the perforated siiding block 18, all as shown and described.

5. The perforated sliding block 18, in combination with the sliding rod 9, as shown and described. v

6. The back or rear spring 17, in combination with the perforated sliding block 18 and the movabie block 16, all as shown and described.

CHARLES LEE. Witnesses:

H. B. PoTTs, JAs. K. STUART.

IOO 

